UNSW

After just 3 months operating here, UNSW announced that it would shut down its Singapore campus.

Warwick had come to the same conclusion. When, in 2005, it rejected the Singapore government's invitation to set up a Singapore campus, the government and the local media tried to make it sound as if the final decision was based on financial (in)feasibility alone

Now Singapore and the UNSW have found out the hard way that it isn't so simple. If a university draws students not just on its brand name alone, but also in terms of its "geography", as Hilmer put it, then the pull of that brand name will not work its magic when transplanted into Singapore.

In other words, one cannot separate financial feasibility from socio-political geography.

The "Singapore" brand has suffered yet another blow.

In the end, universities should not be treated just as entreprise.

Students trust UNSW Asia because it was in Singapore where our government have been efficient. They have placed time and money in UNSW and in the end, there was no one could help them.

only they have themselves.

Now, the trust was broken.

10 years cycle

We have a extremly good year in 2006, where most of us getting good bonus, some even got 10-12 months. but we must not forget the 10 years' cycle.

it has happened in 1987, and again 1997.
This year, 2007 will not be spared as well.

The stock market crashed.

It will occur when we are least expected.

we will be expecting to happen in 3-4 months' time.

spiderman 3

Our government

They took over your jobs.
They deprive of their livings.
They took over your home where you used to live.
They discriminate you when you are above 40s.

It was not the foreign worker.
It was not them.

They blamed on globalizations.
They blamed on others.
But not themselves.



Then who?

Guessed?

Our own government.
They took over your old, comfortable jobs and gave you a toilet for you to clean all day, a place for you to sweep the rubbish, and they paid you less.

Your job was taken over by the “foreign talents” who knew nothing.

Dammed the Globalization

Dammed the Globalization said a CCTV anchorman said having a Starbucks coffee outlet in the Forbidden City makes a mockery of Chinese culture reported the Beijing News.

He was Rui Chenggang.

It was the greastest joke that Starbucks makes out of Forbidden City.

Starbucks coffee is operating in one of the museum's 9,999 rooms. The room covers some ten square meters and is not spacious enough to house any exhibition

In 2003, a KFC outlet said good-bye to its former home in Beihai Park, a group of imperial gardens located in central Beijing, after the ten-year contract ran out. Park officials believe KFC doesn't fit in the imperial garden landscape.

Globalization II

For me, it just meant capitalism without regard of humanity and all out for profit by retort to any means or methods, ethical or unethical to get it done.

and it sucked every resources that are being poured in.

With ever-increasing income-gap, the richer people paid less and less tax but those with lower-income ones are being taxed heavily and heavily.

It was further eroded as we import large number of unskilled worker (foreign Talents) which kept our wages artifically low.

Although there was fast economy growth, what was the use when we could not enjoy the fruits?

With our aging population, a large numbers of above 40s could not even find a job as it was "alloted" to foreigners as they were cheaper. Furthermore, they formed 25% of our population, which is "only" about 1 millions. So, NTU's team was right on mark when they said that half of the newly created jobs went to foreigners.

And our medical fees kept artifically high to have a high standard and we have kept on paying through our hard-earned medisave monies.

The cost of medical bills was instead higher inspite of recents changes.

It will come to a breaking point that all things will collapse, one day and it will.

The questions we should ask: WHEN?

Globlalization

What do this big word meant to us, as an ordinary person.

It was simply meaning that when you are over 35 years and highly paid??($1500-3000)and you have stayed in the same company for too long, you will be the first one to be retrenched..ops should say restructing, a nicer word for you to hear.

You will be replaced by those foreign talent(cheap Labour who are paid $500 a month).

For those who stay on, you have to be multi-tasked, that mean you have to do many people's job for one person's salary. The management is ensure no one is indispensible. everyone, excluding the top management, are expandable.

To cut cost further, your company out-sourced to other companies who tendered the lowest price. Lowest price did not equal to high standard. it just meant what you paid is what you get. And it will not stopped but continuing the downward spiraling

For the profit of the company, the 20% will go to 80% of ordinary workers like you and me while 80% will go to the top managment.

What they told you are not true but half truths. They said restructing was good for you and me, but they never said that if you are over 35 years, you will be the first on the chopping board and they said that life will get better.

Not for you but for them. they are no different than the sweat shops. They asked you to work for long hours and paid little, have less benefits or taken away.

also, they create a KPI (Key Performance Index) to measure your productivity. But do the top managment have KPI? Even as the company's profit plunged 80-90%, they still get the extra-ordinaary bonus and salaries.

The managment always said that they were democratic. But it was always top-down approach. They have decided what best for you without having to consulted you.

You are then told to do what they have decided. it was alway a familair deja-vu.

Peanuts

What I remember most about former NKF’s CEO was a remark by SM’s wife, Mrs. Goh Chok Tong.

She remarked that NKF’s CEO salary of S$60,000 was a peanut.

For 33% of our fellow Singaporean, our salaries was not even half of one peanut, not to talk about 10%. Ours is just a mere 0.01%

How pathetic we are.

good & evil

Good is evil, evil is good
clean is dirty, dirty is clean
living is dead, dead is living

Good people can be evil, and evil people can be good.
Good things can be found in evil people and evil things in good people.

spirited away

break again

will be taking another break..until then, cheers!!!

Many, many, many thanks to our friends..hopefully things will get back again..will be back..cheers

My Birth Date

Your Birthdate: April 30

You are certain and confident when you choose to love someone. Even though your romantic choices may be unconventional - you stand behind them. Your friends never know you as well as a romantic partner does. Number of True Loves You'll Have: 6 Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 6 You are most compatible with people born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st, and 30th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

IMF

IMF was held on Suntec City, and was at south of Singapore.
Although we were staying at the west side, we have already felt it presence.
The reason?
Normally the bus will come on time for the past few yeas, but till last week, we have one bus instead two during 20-25 minutes's interval and we were late for 20-30 minutes.

Furthermore, the bus was really packed, and people showed their annoyed faces.

well, luckily it was only 2 weeks for us to endure.

For others, it was real nightmare for them as they have to work overtime.
well, What to do?

sugar cane

Life is sometimes like a sugar cane,

where it was placed into sugar cane crusher to squeeze out the juice,

and are repeatedly placed again to squeeze the remaining drop.

then for the last time, it was soaked into water to squeeze the last drop.

solar-powered lights

Reported by Aaron Low of Straits Times on Aug 3 of 2006, six of the eight solar-powered lights have been vandalised and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, the PAP candidate who lost in the ward in the May election, has no plans to repair or replace them.

The lights had cost $20,000 to install.

Mr Sitoh had leased the land from the Singapore Land Authority early last year to set up the lights. The adviser to Potong Pasir grassroots organisations said he would not be fixing the lights as the lease for the land would run out on Oct 31.

Earlier, he had also stopped other amenities, including the extra Meet-the-People sessions and the $2 abalone porridge.

So, that was what politics meant to us, an ordinary citizen.

In the first place, Mr Sitoh has installed the lights himself. Now the lights were damaged and he did not want to repair and pushed the full responsiblities to others.

Furthermore, he did not properly handed over to Mr Chaim, MP for Potong Pasir after the elections.

He was sore losers. If you did not vote for me, you got nothing for me..that was what he meant by his actions.

horses

I am Singaporean

A real story.
I am 55 years old man.
I have a job until I came down with illness 5 years ago. it was kidney failure.
I spent a lot of money including my CPF and saving until I was finally recovered.

Now I have to find a job as my son was still studying in Polytechnics. Next year he will be enlisted as national servicemen. My wife worked as a cleaner, earning $700 per month.

Having passed the fork-lift course, I have successfully found one company who was willingly to employ an old man.

That was two months ago, when one day a young chap from China took my job away because he asked for S$800. I was paid S$1,100 and I was slow in my work.

I was told that I did not have to come the next day.

And someone said that we welcome the foreign talents so that they could take away our jobs. That would enable us to retire early without any money.

I searched for another similiar job. I was once willing to lower to S$800 when the company asked for S$900-S$1,000. They asked my age and I told them i was 50.

They said,"Don't come."

So, here I am, I am 55 years old Singaporean who was jobless.

a real story told by one of my friends who are taking a course.

Dancing through Life

bundle with joy

Wrongful Dismissal of Pregnant Women

This letter is written in reference to the letters by Lau Li Nah (ST, June 27) and Ngian Hui Chyi (ST, July 1) and to the article "Pregnant and facing the sack: More seek help" (ST, July 3).



AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) first noticed in July 2004 an increase in the number of women calling in to our Helpline with issues surrounding pregnancy while employed. In June 2005, there were letters in the forum pages from women who had been dismissed while pregnant.

And now, in July 2006, the issue has surfaced again in the forum pages and as a news article. In total, AWARE had received close to 40 calls or emails from women or their relatives.

This issue is definitely not going away, and no amount of reassurance by the Ministry of Manpower will change that.

Planning for, having and caring for a baby in today's frenetic society is stressful enough without having to worry about one's source of income being terminated. For most modern women, pregnancy itself already carries a certain amount of inherent risk. When a woman is subjected to sudden and extreme stress and emotional upset, as happens when one is summarily dismissed, we can only imagine what further complications might affect the pregnancy and subsequent birth.

Add to that non-existent paternity leave, and a paltry two days child care leave per year, the husband and father will be back at work long before the new mother is ready to be left on her own to face post natal depression aggravated by depression caused by the sudden loss of her job.

Last year, AWARE convened a focus group discussion on the topic attended by six women and three men.

Two of the women who had lost their jobs due to their pregnancy said that they would not want a second child because the experience had been too traumatic.

The sad thing is that although this issue has been raised many times in the past, there does not seem to be sufficient political will to address it adequately. A case in point is AWARE's submission to a government related agency to obtain funding to conduct a study on Managing Pregnancy and Employment. After ongoing discussions and negotiations lasting one year, the final response was negative even though AWARE had initially been given encouraging signals.

At the very least, a study should first be made to examine the extent of the problem. Once the issues are understood more clearly, the correct solutions can then be proposed and implemented. AWARE is still going ahead with a scaled down version of its planned research to achieve this end. Please call 6779 7137 or email helpline@aware.org.sgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it to participate in the study.

It would be very much in the government's interest to take concrete steps to address this issue before it affects many more women and their families.

We should not let such discriminatory practices by employers undermine our society's efforts to encourage more women to have more babies.

Ms Tan Joo Hymn
President
AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research)